Will Daryl’s sexuality be discussed in the next series? (Picture: Fox)

Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead is a man of mystery. Aside from ponchos and crossbows, we’re really not sure what he’s into.

Carol’s admirably up-front flirting made him squirm, and while Beth has set her sights on him, he seems to be occupying some awkward middle-ground between paternally protective and Lolita-style impropriety.

Could his apparent indecision be because he bats for another team altogether?

In a question sent into The Walking Dead #130, a reader asked creator Robert Kirkman if there’s any chance of Daryl being gay.

Kirkman certainly didn’t dismiss the idea. ‘All I can say,’ Kirkman wrote, ‘is that it’s been discussed. We have very specific ideas about Daryl’s sexuality (or the seeming lack thereof), and if there’s ever a quiet period in the show where he’s not consistently distracted by crossbowing… we’ll tackle it in the show.’

He went on to add that producer AMC ‘absolutely would’ allow Daryl to come out.

All this could simply be fan-baiting to drum up anticipation for the start of season five. A certain vocal contingent of fans are already convinced that Daryl is gay, and actor Norman Reedus has been known to gleefully play into the rumours by posting seriously bromantic pictures of him and co-star Andrew Lincoln on his Twitter profile.

Daryl is rarely without his crossbow (Picture: Fox)

But these rumours came from somewhere, and the show is certainly not devoid of hints that Daryl might be gay.

He’s reticent about his relationship history, and is one of the few characters not to have been involved in a romantic subplot. His brother Merle aimed a few homophobic slurs in his direction and he’s often referred to his difficult youth.

His growing attachment to Rick has gone unnoticed by no-one – in the season four finale he even willingly offered his life for Rick’s.

The Walking Dead currently has a lesbian character, Tara, and the comic series has openly gay character Jesus. But would an ass-kicking redneck who also happens to be gay be a step too far for the conservative fans who have made Daryl their hero?

A few have already expressed their horror at the mere idea of Daryl being gay.

But that is too good a prospect to pass up. I’ve long wanted to see more gay heroes on TV, and what better way to reshape attitudes towards homosexuality than by believably and sensitively having a fan-favourite character gradually come to terms with his own sexuality?

Opportunities for romance would be few and far between – there’s a zombie apocalypse on, after all – but having a gay character as visible and popular as Daryl Dixon would be a real watershed moment for American TV.

So, come season five, you’d better start watching Daryl a little closer. Who knows what he’s going to be up to?

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